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October 7, 2023 is a day that will forever be etched in the collective memory of the Jewish people. Six months later, the date has lost none of its pain and trauma.
The death toll from the attack reached 1,200, while 253 Israelis were taken hostage.
Since then, the list of victims has lengthened, but especially on the Palestinian side, whether innocent civilians or Hamas fighters.
However, the world must never forget that this catastrophe began with the worst pogrom inflicted on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
October 7, 2023 is a day that will forever be etched in the collective memory of the Jewish people. Pictured: An Israeli flag hanging on a building near a poster of a woman kidnapped in the October 7 attack.
It is not an isolated act of terrorism, but the latest and most barbaric episode of a long campaign against the very existence of the State of Israel.
Faced with this existential threat, the Jewish homeland has had no alternative but to defend itself.
Survival requires the destruction of Hamas so that the near-drug-crazed carnage exhibited six months ago is never allowed.
But “war is hell,” as William Sherman, the American Civil War general, once noted. Tragic mistakes are inevitable, such as when Israeli missiles hit an aid convoy and killed seven workers.
Having admitted the disastrous mistake, the Israeli government launched a full investigation and has already fired two officers.
Outrage over this terrible event has led to demands that Israel cease fighting in Gaza.
Faced with this existential threat, the Jewish homeland has had no alternative but to defend itself. Pictured: A member of the public looks at photographs of hostages kidnapped on October 7 in Israel.
Meanwhile, the grotesque accusation of “genocide” is being spewed, as calls grow for Britain to suspend its arms export to Israel.
A thick layer of hypocrisy hangs over this condemnation. Western armies have also made fatal errors of judgment. In 2008, US forces bombed a wedding in Afghanistan with the loss of 37 lives; The attack on a Serbian media center in 1999 killed 16 people.
Incidents like this have never sparked the same outrage as last week’s tragedy. The only explanation is the singular anti-Semitic hatred of Israel, arising from an ancient hatred reborn in Britain under an ugly alliance between militant Islam and the radical left.
It is a bitter irony that October 7th caused a huge increase in anti-Jewish racism. This has left British Jews not only fearful for their safety but also questioning their future here. However, through this adversity, I have never seen the community so united.